The following documents are required to import a used vehicle from another EU country:

a. Proof of vehicle ownership (for example an original bill of sale or receipt)

b. Original vehicle registration documents

c. Current vehicle insurance documentation

d. If applicable, EU certificate of conformity (Konformitäts-bescheinigung or EWG - Ubereinstimmungsbescheinigung) or a certificate of exhaust emission testing which conforms to German TÜV/DEKRA standards

e. Certificate of exhaust emissions (AU-Bescheinigung) test for all vehicles over three years old.

f. Certificate of exhaust emissions (AU-Bescheinigung) test for all vehicles over three years old.

g. A tax clearance certificate (Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung) from the Federal Motor Vehicle Authority (Kraftfahrtbundesamt) to confirm that the vehicle has not already been registered in Germany.

Documentation to register your vehicle in german

If you want to bring a car into Germany from outside the EU, it must have been registered in your name and home country for a minimum of 6 months prior to your arrival. Otherwise import tax and VAT is payable. For customs the car has to be declared as removal good to avoid paying import taxes.

Application form to the German Department of Motor Vehicles

Proof of identity and residence e.g. passport and residence registration receipt. Only residents and resident companies may register a car, either by themselves or through an authorized representative, who must submit a letter of attorney,

Drawing up of the German title and approval of the exception authorities*

Emissions tests (AU), required for used vehicles with petrol driven motors with catalytic converters built after the 1st of July 1969 and diesel engines after the 1st of January 1977.

Motor Vehicle Tax

Every motor vehicle registered in Germany is automatically subject to a special motor vehicle tax (Kfz-Steuer). The first payment must be paid soon after registering the vehicle (Kfz-Steuerbescheid).

The yearly rates are high compared to other countries. They are grouped between approx. DM 11.00 and DM 30.00 for every 100 cc of cylinders. A different calculation is used for trucks depending on the size of its loading surface.

Rates differ depending on certain engine specifications, such as whether the car is equipped with a catalytic converter or whether it is gasoline or diesel powered. For example, the rate is DM 11.80 for a car with U.S. standard catalytic converter and DM 28.40 for a new car without any emissions reducing devices. For diesel engines the rates are even higher. For a 3.0 litre gasoline engine the payable tax would be 30 times DM 11.80, giving a total of` DM 354.00 per year.

Recently, political discussion has surfaced calling for a reorganization of the rate categories. It has been suggested to classify only according to a car's effects on the environment.